Shades of Anabasis

'inspired, motivated, and sculpted by the reading of WS Merwin'

in time the senses                                      after the first night

beached                                                     the world turned

                                                                  we remembered

                                  the mind estranged

a dream fixed                                              the fever

still eternal Penates                                     whirling without end

in the cool rain                                            a blind thought

                                                                   of

                                  the slow false music

                                  of a forgetful river

                                  we followed

                                  the tired ships where they lay

our own rages                                              cold distorted passages

dim archipelagoes

wind starved                                                terrain

                                  where no prayers work

                                  but

                                       on

                                           occasion

questions drift                                             satisfied

towards the east                                          vague extremities

of sleep                                                       of

                                  seas command

                                  the light

                                  the swift

                                  harrier

the dazed                   and                            uncertain continent

                                  weave

                                  body

                                  mind

                                  to bone

Ken e Bujold

Author's Note

enjoy the puzzle

Reviews

[softlyfall]

I felt as though I was walking through your mind museum without a map. Not great for a lady who can get lost on a tightrope. But the individual rooms are wonderful, one by one.
But-
Overall, and do not laugh, I don't get it.

[Ken e Bujold]

not laughing. and ok to be confused, lord knows I almost abandoned the structure a few time while composing. Is a poem of warring levels of thought and knowledge. Anabasis an ancient greek account of the seizing of the persian throne. the various drifing stanzas meant to symboize the ghosts of those there. the lines can be read traditonally left to right, or as stand alone, or as drifting from one to another in whatever order the reader wishes, much like memories flood minds, or as information reaches us from a myriad of competing voices in today's social medium world

[softlyfall]

oh wow- now i can't wait to reread it. I love the idea of ghosts of ancient greece on social media... I wish I thought of that

[W. Barrett Munn]

The diction and the syntax I love - but I have a personal bias this type of format as I always wonder what it will look like in Braille.

Winston

[Ken e Bujold]

interesting question: which I think I can answer. I grew up with an old aunt who was blind. We would spend time together because she was about the most educated person I knew at that time. I remember her explanation of what seeing meant to a blind person. The sense was more akin to feeling. A stone for instance was the combination of texture, weight, temperature: all of which would create a sensation of an image in her head. So reading this I suspect would be infinitely more of a pleasure. She would have (once she had the concept fixed in mind) allowed her fingers to roam wherever she wished, picking up entirely new and unexpected connections that we sight people might rarely stumble on.

[Red Brick Keshner]

Oh boy! This is a most enjoyable poem! Like an interactive museum but not! Because it is all alive and fresh and moving. Good stuff here!

[Ken e Bujold]

museum a rather good way of describing it. thanks fred and glad you enjoyed

[Red Brick Keshner]

I rather like as well the architectural design of its structure, my tendency is to clump thoughts together in the smaller shapes which is harder to read and follow from a visual point of view. This style you shared is more intuitive and visually ‘ergonomic.’

[Ken e Bujold]

thanks . what i was/am aiming for is a multitude of voices

[Red Brick Keshner]

Oh, that came through as well Ken. It’s just that all the lines and words and phrases are thematically cohesive and that kinda tones down the many voices that visually is highly suggested, they are shaped like a jumble of speech clouds, bubbles and boxes 💬🗯💭